Stolen Shot
by Shinra-ex-SOLDIER
Summary: Eri isn't one to snoop around some person's stuff unless it counts. This time however it's Neku's phone and she comes across a photo of herself holding Mr. Mew which she has no memory of (as if it wasn't even her in the picture). So who better to confide in than her best friend, Shiki? Post-game. NekuxShiki with Shiki and Eri friendship.


**Stolen Shot**

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

Eri isn't one to snoop around some person's stuff unless it counts. This time however it's Neku's phone and she comes across a photo of herself holding Mr. Mew which she has no memory of (as if it wasn't even her in the picture). So who better to confide in than her best friend, Shiki? Post-game. NekuxShiki with Shiki and Eri friendship.

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

"Shiki, there's something I need to tell you."

"Sure thing, I'm all ears."

The words came out of nowhere. There wasn't even a hint of them coming up from their just ended conversation five seconds ago. Or was it just a moment ago? Shiki never did bother to check the time when she was with her. She just knew what time it was only when Eri would leave. That meant it was late. Like really late- she'll probably get grounded late. And even then she'd never check exactly what time it was. So Shiki's point was that Eri's confession, if you could call it that, was just so sudden that it took her by surprise. It didn't help that she looked hesitant.

Eri's lips were pursed as if still trying to stop herself from saying anything. And this was Eri we're talking about. When she wants to say something she'll say it loud and even broadcast it. Whatever she was going to say was probably serious and important.

She closed her hands on her best friend's to tighten her resolve. "Good. But I need you to promise me you won't tell anyone. Not even Neku."

Shiki's eyebrows were raised in confusion. "Why? What's going on, Eri?"

"Please, promise me this will be our secret." She raised their hands as if their closed form was the sign of their pact.

"Calm down. I promise. You can trust me." She reassured her.

Eri gave her one last intense look at her before she finally gave in. She could trust Shiki. Gently, she released their hands as hers started fiddling with her fingers. Then wore the face of a guilty kid caught stealing from a cookie jar.

"Okay. I sorta flipped through Neku's phone." Her eyes didn't meet hers.

She shouted in surprise. "You _what_?!"

"I know! But hear me out." Hands open in front of her, Eri tried to defend herself. "I was bored and he left it just there so what's a girl supposed to do?"

"Anything but that." Shiki glared. Invasion of privacy, much?

"It's not like I was looking for anything, honestly!" Now her hands were flailing. And her words per minute speed just got amped. "Sure, I suppose I wanted to check his messages just to see if you left out any juicy details but before you get mad, no, I didn't find anything. I mean, I wish I had but I hadn't even seen anything because I skimmed through his photos first. And then I found it-"

"Too fast! There's no sale so hold up." She held her by the shoulders, wishing dearly that she would slow down. She sighed. Then she tried slowing down the beat of the conversation. "We've been talking about this for some time now. What exactly did you find?"

She crossed her arms, clearly upset. "I was just getting there. Don't go ruining the suspense. What I found was…" She paused and thought. "Maybe I shouldn't-"

"Eri! For crying out loud, just get on with it!"

"A picture." There, it was out. "It was a picture of me."

Shiki blinked a few times. Say what? "I don't think I understand."

Her left hand supported her other elbow as her right hand moved like she always did when she thinks. "Look, don't get the wrong idea. It was just one and I'm pretty much sure he's into you. Maybe someone used his phone to take it?"

"I'm ignoring the first part. As for the second, fat chance. This is Neku we're talking about." She snapped. Did she really have to say that?

"Yeah, but I haven't told you the whole picture yet." She shook her head. Eri herself was still in disbelief. "The freaky part was it wasn't just me. It was me holding Mr. Mew out at the Scramble. I thought it was just taken to show to you or something but when I checked the date, it was _way before _we even met."

And that wasn't just it. Eri knew that Shiki rarely brought out the stuffed cat and stopped altogether once they reached high school. The timid girl was paranoid enough to think that people would judge her. Eri wouldn't of course but she can't say the same for others. And also, she recognized that outfit. That was first year's trend setter. Aside from that, she couldn't remember any memory with her in that position. The picture's there but the memory doesn't exist. It's not that she forgot because even if she did then she'd probably get this nagging feeling from one corner of her mind but right now, there was nothing. It just… never happened.

"It's like it wasn't even me in that picture but someone who looked just like me. But that's impossible. I'm just being crazy, right?" She turned to her BFF hoping that she'd agree with her.

Only to find her face scrunched up in thought. She was really considering what has just been laid out. "Are you sure about the date?"

"Huh? Yeah, like checked it twice and all." That's what she asks first?

Determined, she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I think I'll talk to Neku about it."

Eri's hand shot out to grab her arm. "Wait, please don't tell him about me." Desperation edged her voice.

Shiki smiled sincerely. "Of course, I won't. I promised."

She let go. How could she not trust that innocent look? "Okay, tell me all about it after, alright?"

Her smile dropped. "Sorry but… I can't promise you that." Her voice was softer but it was also more serious.

"If you're trying to be a tease then you need more practice." If Eri noticed the sudden change then she did a good job of pretending she didn't. She grinned brightly at Shiki. "Call you later!"

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

"We need to talk."

Mr. Mew wasn't in her arms at that moment but rather it was sitting on a desk. And although the stuffed animal was there to support her the night before to gather enough courage, it would be sitting out on the actual confrontation today. A mere spectator of what its owner/creator would do. Lately, it had been sitting out on a lot of things since Shiki would now do it with her new friends like Neku. One would think the plushie would be forgotten in time. But that wasn't the case. She made new friends and they accepted Shiki along with Mr. Mew. And now, the stuffed cat was silently supporting her like he always would but only in the background.

It was kind of funny. Remember how Eri was hesitant and all yesterday? Well, history has a twisted humor to repeat itself. Only this time it was Shiki who was nervous. She wasn't afraid of what Neku thinks but rather what he'll say. There was really nothing to hint on what explanation there was to that picture. Not even the faintest idea. So she was afraid of what she'll find out.

"What's up?" Well that was new. This was their first official _talk_. Either this gets interesting or things go terribly wrong. Neku was aware of how _talks _would play out in clichéd dramas on tv but come on. Since when did he listen to advice from flimsy shows? He only trusted his friends and one of them was talking to him right now. He trusts Shiki enough that she wouldn't do anything overly dramatic.

She opened her hand out to him. "Lend me your phone."

He raised his eyebrows. "Which first, talk or phone?"

"Phone. Please." Her tone was firm but almost begging. Timid even.

"Sure." He shrugged and pulled out the requested item from his pocket.

"That's it? You're not even gonna put up a fight?" Leave it to Neku to be anti-climactic.

"Not like I got anything to hide." And even if there was, he's cool with Shiki knowing about it.

"We'll see…" She went ahead and scanned its contents while silence soon followed.

It was awkwardly quiet. It was awkward for Shiki because she felt Neku's stare at her which made her conscious even if she knew she shouldn't. It was also awkward for Neku because in all honesty, waiting was never his forte. And with how weird Shiki was acting, heck, even he was getting uneasy.

But when Shiki found what she was looking for, she had mixed emotions. "Neku, could you explain this?"

"Find something?" His eyes widened at the photo presented to him. "That's! How did you-"

"Just answer the question." She was anxious to know.

How did it exist? _Why _did it exist?

His shoulders tensed, cautious. His voice was even. "Do I get to think about it first?"

"Okay, but don't even try to think of getting out of this one." Her voice was soft but not forcing.

Maybe Neku would've wanted the cliché _talk _over this one. At least if that was the case then he could get by with just bruises at most. But this… could possibly scar his reputation… forever. He had a rep to keep up. He figured that it would be Shiki to break it. After all, it was her who broke down his barriers and made a whole 360 on his values. There was a side to him that he never knew existed but she did. And she was as stubborn as him to get him to accept it. Maybe having her know one more thing would be better. But did it have to be _this _thing?

Neku heaved a heavy sigh as he took back his phone. This conversation just turned into a _long _storytelling session. "That's Week One, Day Seven." He ducked his head just like he always would when saying something embarrassing. His arm bended only to accidentally elbow the desk with enough force to somehow make Mr. Mew's arms cross as if egging him to just say it. "You weren't aware yet by then but you've really fixed me up those past few days. I thought…"

Dammit. He never really was one for this kind of _talks._

"I thought that if we won we'd forget about everything that happened. The Game… and us meeting. But then I figured what if there was a loophole?" His voice was getting smaller as was his self-esteem. "If I took your pic maybe whoever runs this Game won't erase it when we get back. I know myself and even if I don't remember you, I'll definitely find whoever that girl in the pic is." Unconsciously, his hands tightened into fists. The memories were still raw. "We won _that _Game but… you know the rest."

There was a pregnant pause. The tension was too much to bear. Neku was mentally willing her to talk. He didn't care what she'd say just… say something. Shiki shifted. And Neku silently cursed because her glasses were at that angle where it reflected light so he couldn't see her eyes or whatever emotion she had in them.

"…Even if you did that, you'll find Eri instead of me. Her body, remember?" Her voice sounded… sad. Broken even.

He couldn't stand hearing her like that. He'd fix that just as she fixed him. His own voice was coming back too. "Don't think that I didn't know that. Yeah, sure, I'd pretty much find Eri instead but I know it wouldn't feel right."

"Feel right?" She asked, unsure of what he meant by that.

"Yeah, I'd think that I know I'd feel wrong. Like she's not the girl I'm looking for." He won't admit it to her, at least not yet but that last line meant more than he'd let on.

"So it's more on intuition then." She rationalized, not quite believing what he was saying just yet.

"Don't care what you call it. I just know." Did he really have to explain these things? He crossed his arms. "Besides, if I do meet Eri first I'm sure she'll introduce you to me right after."

There was really nothing to say to that. He'd thought of everything. No, that's not just it though. The fact that he even considered of thinking about it and having seriously thought it through was just… endearing. Admitting all of this was no small thing especially with Neku. Shiki can already imagine his inner turmoil on deciding whether or not to tell her. But he did tell her. And she couldn't ask for more.

She couldn't ask… because he'd give it to her. And sometimes, she didn't even need to ask.

"Neku… Thank you." Her hand reached out tentatively to touch his arm and when he didn't shy away, all her hesitation left her as she hugged him. Along the way, they slightly bumped into the desk making Mr. Mew's head bob as if encouraging her. As if telling her that she was doing the right thing. "You didn't have to answer. You could've said no from the start but you didn't. So thanks for taking my stupid question seriously."

His arms wrapped around her. "It's not stupid. Like I said, I got nothing to hide." He scoffed while ignoring the blush that was shading his cheeks.

After a while, she had to let go. As much as she enjoyed the contact, they weren't that used to it she supposed. Besides, she felt she'd get an actual fever with all that heat rising up to her cheeks. So she smiled to cover that up. "I'm really glad that's over." Whether she meant the issue of the photo or the whole Game, it was hard to tell. Maybe both.

"Me too." He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed. Now with that sorted… "So who told you?"

"Huh?"

"It's obvious someone gave you the info."

"I don't know what you're talking about." She lied through her teeth.

"It was Eri, wasn't it?" He pointed out knowingly.

"N-no! No! I mean… I don't _know_!"

"She made you promise, didn't she?"

There's no fooling him. Shiki sighed in defeat and also guilt. "I'm sorry, Eri."

She was making that face again and Neku couldn't stand it. She was thinking of herself as a failure. Screw that. She was just overthinking and he needed to do something about it. Or at least say something. "Look, you didn't do anything wrong. You kept your promise. You didn't tell me it was her. I figured it out on my own. You're safe."

"I'm not too sure about that." She absentmindedly played with her fingers.

Well that worked out fine. Not. Guess he needs to change strategy. "'Sides, if you're that worked up over that photo, I could always take a new one." He held his phone out. "Smile." _Snap._

She went wide-eyed. "Ah! I wasn't ready yet!"

"Too late." He smirked.

She went to grab for it but he made sure to keep it just out of reach. "Delete that right now!"

Everything that happened today was because of a certain picture. If it was just Shiki in Eri's body then it would've gone unnoticed. But it wasn't. Mr. Mew was there. It was always there with Shiki. So a picture of Eri with it and with no Shiki just wasn't right. And from there, everything just followed through. Neku took the shot as a promise of reunion. What he got was a promising future instead. It was supposed to bring them together but instead it brought them _closer._

A picture is there to remind us of a memory. This time, it has the real Shiki and with Neku. _Together._ And hopefully, in this new stolen shot, Mr. Mew was there too.

"Make me."

"Oh, you are _so _going down."

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

**Shinra-ex-SOLDIER**

Possible continuation:  
  
_"Hey, Eri. Thanks for telling me about the picture."_

"_What picture?"_

"_You know… the one about you and Mr. Mew." The one she just told her about the other day. Slash that, it was just yesterday._

"_Oh, that." Realization finally dawned on her face and to Shiki's shock, she looked surprised right after. "You mean he really had one?"_

"_What do you mean?" She asked slowly as the gears in her head clicked into place. She can't be serious. "Don't tell me… it was a joke?"_

"_Totally. Well, more like a fib." Eri giggled offhandedly like she would when she was messing around. The glint in her eyes was unmistakable. Shiki had without a doubt, fallen for her trap. Again. "I figured you wouldn't talk to him without some sort of excuse. (Excuse me?) And it's one of my duties as your BFF to help you out so…"_

"_So what?" She sighed. _

"_So did you two kiss?" She smirked._

"_I- we- Eri!" Shiki was blushing furiously as she stammered for a reply. _

_Eri just winked at her. "You're welcome."_


End file.
